Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-29
READING MEN AGAIN OUT.
renewing the Strike at Port Rich.
mond - A General strike Again
Threatened.

Although the Reading Railroad employees went
10 work yesterday morning, there was a feeling OF
uncertainty 10 Port Richmond all day. and at
noon about seven hundred OF the coal-handlers
Iuit work In obedience, as they said, to an order
10 strike. The Representatives OF tile company de-
MED this, and declared that they had quit work
because OF the rain, and also because there no
work TO do by reason OF the stop" work being
slack. The fourteen ''wharf rats" or shifting en-
gfnes began work as usual In the morning, five OF
the crews being composed OF new men. At l.
O'Clock, however, the whistle OF one engine was
blown flve times a signal 10 stop work The
crews OF seven OF the engines needed the signal
put out the fres ard left. Inc superintendent or
the company states that the other seven OF the
crews remained loyal to the company. This some
or the strikers deny. These same crews, they say.
only remained In long enough 10 put the engines
in their proper places and In order to do this 1t
was necessary to drill large number OF cars, but
as soon as this was done they drew the fires and
lelt the engines on a side-track, leaving every
thing In good order.
IL was learned In the afternoon that the crews of
each Of the ten Reading Golfers had been dis
charged for INSTRUMENTATION Two crew we're dis
cnarged Tuesday, and the others have received
notices since. The Decentralization is said TO con-
refusing 10 take the vessels when ordered TO do
81. Each crew numbered fifteen men, or one hun
Superintendent Keim declared that there was no
strike, and while there was no trouble OF any kind
during the day the comp ny sent for additional
police and obtained the services OF tifty Uniformed
inen III has, In addition TO these IL Is said, 200
armed Pinkerton detectives and private policemen
The order for the strike Is cenerally believed TO
have been issued by John l. Lee chairman OF the
executive committee OF the Philadelphia and Read
Ing ,llroad employees convention. A meeting OF
Port Richmond Coal Hand .ers' Local Assembly No.
o,s5, knights or Labor, held In the afternoon.
~ was reported that the men We're on strike; that
the strike order was intended to become general,
and that the real ruggle with the company was
ABOUT 10 begin. 1t was also reported That the
stevedores doing work at the Port Richmond piers,
and belonging to Local Assembly 750.5, were on
strike and intended TO remain firm With the coal
DISPATCHER Goodman said at q O'Clock that the
freight had been moved regularly all day. All the
men who resumed after the strike on Tuesday con-
tlnued at work as usual and professed 10 have no
knowledge OF the new order TO strike.
All or those present at the meeting OF Assembly
No 62S' We're very enthusiastic, and were loud in
the declaration that this trouble would be fight
TO finish They claim that even though the last
strike may have been iu-advised, that they now
have cause 10 fight for-which is the discharge
or those VINO were most prominent In the previous
strike. One " the executive committee OF the
Reading emp Dyes convention said after the meet
ing that the order to strike included every depart
ment OF the system. even to the miners and the
New YORK branch. and that assurances had been
received that IL would be generally Obeyed. Moth
ing but United States mails they saw will be
hauled over the road and that with all OF those
VINO are ready TO take the strikers places enough
or WIS could not be made up TO operate any more
than an Insignificant fraction OF the service When
asked how II Was that all OF the different local
branches OF the road traffic was going on as usual
the leaders replied that the order 10 strike by rea
son OF being delivered by a special mes ,enger had
not yet reached all points, but that by to-day
things would present an entirely different appear
ance. OnlcialS OF the company VINO were seen last
night declare that there is absolutely no trouble
ana that the places Of the few employees who have
lett The service have been filed.
Az the convention OF Reading employees to be
he'd IN Reading today some OF The prominent
labor leaders discharged Ia Philadelphia Will be
present and present their side OF The case From
all Indications the coal miners Will control the
convention, aud II may be decided as to whether
siay afr anrI,-
zoo coal and freight engineers brakemen and IRE
men Were called 10 Reading, paid of and dis
charged Tor the part they took la the STRIKE
The Reading Railroad Knights OF Labor at
ShanOkin are still out and declare they will not
return 10 work until their discharged associates at
TINS place are reinstated. Three train crews of
non-uniOn men are at work, but there are thirty
n'e locomotives at Snamokin without crews The
eoierleS In that locality all ide owing to the
lack OF transportation facilities
ST. Clair Pa, dispatch says: Not single coal
train started out on the Frackville Branch this
morning. The Reading Railroad Co. employs
some twenty-five crews and engines on this branch
Ia the transportation OF about 800 cars OF coal
daily.
The convention OF District Assembly No. 10, I'm
session at Pottsvile yesterday, adjourned without
having taken action upon the demand OF the
miners for an advanced scale OF wages for 1883
The delegates will participate In to-ddy's general
convention OF Reading employees at Reading AT
which, among other things, The question or "a gen
eral strike VIII be decided.